When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

In the past 30 years, light artists have reimagined an art form that has always had the ability to turn the night sky, or a simple window, into luminescence. Last fall, the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts turned its southern glass wall into a parade of sound-sensing lights, Lightswarm, that changes with the movements of nearby people and things. Future Cities Lab, the San Francisco design company behind Lightswarm, has originated another notable light sculpture. Located by the YBCA's steps at 701 Mission, Murmur Wall will light up in arresting ways as it incorporates local trending search engine results and social media postings. Onlookers can offer their own contributions, which will feed into the Murmur Wall's data stream and light up the sculpture. What's trending in San Francisco? If you're walking by the YBCA, you can see firsthand — at least through light patterns that reflect the city's volatile internet habits.
Murmur Wall debuts Thursday at 6 p.m. and continues through May 31, 2017, at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F. Free; 415-978-2700 or ybca.org. More

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Outside Lands
Outside Lands 2012 Set Times Are Out: Here's a Look at the Conflicts

Scheduling a festival like Outside Lands is never easy -- there's always going to be some fans who want to see two acts that happen to be playing at the same time. But judging by the set times released today, festival organizers have done a pretty decent job of minimizing the conflicts. As we wrote when the daily lineups came out, there's a lot to be happy about. There are a few things to be bummed about, too. Let's go through three main points of conflict and see how this year's schedule turned out:

The Headliners

Friday: Neil Young vs. Justice

Saturday: Metallica vs. Sigur Ros

Sunday: Stevie Wonder vs. Skrillex

Clearly organizers made a bet that older, classic artists like Young and Wonder would draw a different crowd than the younger EDM artists like Justice and Skrillex. And they're probably right. Plus, anyone who wants a dose of wub-wub-wub can catch an hour of Wonder before Skrillex even goes on. The worst conflict here in our view is Metallica vs. Sigur Ros -- both epic bands that are sure to bring a hefty dose of majesty to the Saturday night proceedings, albeit in very different ways.

Mid-Afternoon

Friday: The Walkmen vs. Yacht

Saturday: Grandaddy vs. Big Boi

Sunday: Jack White Vs. Santigold

There are some very tough calls here. We're sad that Big Boi, one of the fest's only hip-hop sets -- and a crucial make-up for those who missed him last year -- will conflict with an unmissable reunion set from Grandaddy, one of the best, most underrated Bay Area indie rock groups of yore. Choosing between the former White Stripes frontman and the upstart Caribbean R&B-pop artist Santigold will be painful as well. And we're stumped when it comes to the Walkmen vs. Yacht -- guess we'll just have to see whether we're more in the mood to ruminate or dance.

Early Afternoon

Friday: Sharon Van Etten vs. Tanlines vs. Two Gallants

Saturday: The Be Good Tanyas vs. Geographer vs. Tame Impala

Sunday: Franz Ferdinand vs. Trampled By Turtles vs. Caveman

The lines are much less clearly drawn as we get earlier in the day, with multiple sets taking place simultaneously whose audiences likely overlap a lot. Sharon Van Etten does a great live set, but what if we want to bounce around to Tanlines? Either way, we'll be rushing to catch locals Two Gallants show off songs from their first album in five years. We'll have to give up hope for a long, studied viewing of the sure-to-be-amazing Tame Impala set on Saturday, since catching some of The Be Good Tanyas and locals Geographer seems mandatory. Sunday looks a bit easier, but those without a freakish affection for Franz Ferdinand (like us) will have to wrestle choosing between Caveman and Trampled By Turtles. Hey, we feel your pain.

Lastly, there some confounding elements to consider here, such as stage placement -- we hear the festival footprint will be bigger this year, so who knows about the distance between sets -- and time delays. Though Outside Lands mostly stays on schedule, some delays and hang-ups are always possible. It's best to keep an open mind and stay flexible. And if there's one thing the schedule makes clear, it's that there's always at least two (and often many more) enticing sets happening at the same time.

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Slideshows

Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"